EU Refugee crisis:
latest news from across Europe22.1.16
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Observatory: Refugee
crisis in the Med and inside the EU: Daily
news (updated through the day), commentaries and official documentsThe
Dublin Regulation: Is the End Nigh? Where should unaccompanied
children apply for asylum?(EU Law Analysis,
link): "Two recent developments have raised controversy
as regards the EUs Dublin III Regulation, the set of rules
which determines in which Member State asylum-seekers must make
their asylum application. First of all, a British judgment yesterday
stated that the UK was responsible for the asylum claims by unaccompanied
children in France (in particular the Calais Jungle),
who have a family member in the UK. Secondly, a press report
indicated that the Commission is planning to propose a fundamental
overhaul of the Dublin rules in the near future. Both developments
have alarmed some commentators, but thrilled others. I will examine
the legal and political context of each of them in turn. "

HUNGARY: Council of Europe human rights commissioner warning:Risk
of human rights violations for asylum seekers returned to Hungary(Council of Europe, link): "Due to
sweeping changes introduced in Hungary in asylum law and practice
over recent months, asylum seekers returned there run a considerable
risk of being subject to human rights violations said today
Commissioner Muinieks while publishing the written observations
he submitted on 17 December to the European Court of Human Rights
in relation to two complaints against Austria concerning the
transfer of the applicants from Austria to Hungary under the
Dublin III Regulation."

CZECH REPUBLIC: Zeman
calls for NATO to guard EU borders(Prague Post, link):
"Czech President Milo Zeman said NATO would do
a better job of protection European borders from immigrants than
the proposed European Border and Coast Guard.

I favor a joint NATO command to
protect the EU borders, similar to what exists in Afghanistan,
Zeman told news server Parlamentní listy."

Germany and Turkey have
emerged as key players in the biggest migration crisis to rock
Europe since World War II, and both parties will seek to drive
a hard bargain at the talks between the two countries' cabinets."

FINLAND: Niinistö
concerned about reports from eastern border (Helsinki Times, link): "President
Sauli Niinistö called attention to what is seemingly
an isolated incident that may reflect the refugee situation
on the border between Finland and Russia while meeting with members
of the media on Tuesday.

I'm talking about
the Indian man who reportedly froze to death close to the border,
he began."

"We can manage
it for about three weeks, but we don't have enough personnel
strength to last longer," deputy head of the GdP union Jörg
Radek told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung (NOZ) newspaper."

GREECE: At
least eight migrants drown in sinking off Greek island (Reuters, link): " At
least eight migrants including two children drowned when a wooden
boat carrying them capsized north of the Greek island of Kalolimnos
early on Friday, a coastguard official said, as the refugee flow
towards Europe continues despite the winter cold."

GREECE: Dozens
of refugees missing in deadly sinkings off Greek islands (Middle East Eye, link): "At
least 21 people including eight children died and dozens of other
people were reported missing early on Friday after their boats
sank off the Greek islands of Farmakonisi and Kalolimnos while
trying to cross the Aegean Sea from Turkey, the Greek coastguard
said."

At a meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart
Daniel Mitov, Szijjarto highlighted the need for reliable guarding
of the external borders of the EU.

The Hungarian prime minister pointed
to Bulgaria as being a good example in this respect. In his words,
the country has been successful in imposing stricter control
and meeting the challenges posed by the refugee flows."

NETHERLANDS: Police
set up team to stop pimps, drugs lords recruiting refugees (Dutch News, link): "The
police have set up a special programme in an effort to keep criminals
away from refugee centres where they are trying to recruit people
to become prostitutes or get involved in the drugs trade, the
Volkskrant says on Friday.

There are currently
47 ongoing investigations into human trafficking around refugee
centres, the paper says. In total, 100 police officers have been
allocated to the programme and will on Friday begin patrols at
refugee centres where problems have been reported."

However, Ambassador
Andrii Deshchytsia has stated that the majority of Ukrainians
seeking refugee status in Poland have been refused.

Only two people
received such a status last year, he said of the 4,000
Ukrainians who had sought asylum in Poland."

Polish party seeking support for referendum on
refugees (Radio
Poland, link): "Party leader and veteran rock star Pawel
Kukiz said on Thursday that the asylum seekers are culturally
foreign. He has launched a website via which the signatures
for the referendum are being collected.

His recently formed
faction, which includes MPs of various political colours, counts
among its ranks members of the nationalist group the National
Movement."

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